Aging Process Plotter, 1967
To create this work, Csuri used morphing techniques to transform a young woman’s face into that of an older one by breaking down the image into line segments and applying set rules to guide the transformation. Despite the computer determining the process, an element of surprise remained, reflecting Csuri’s playful sense of the absurd as he depicted the aging process in reverse.
Aging Process Plotter, 1967 in the Collection of MUDigital
“I try to play at the edge of reason and absurdity. It is an invitation to something alive.”
This is an iteration of the “Aging Process Plotter”, 1967. The lines disassemble and reassemble, foreshadowing Csuri's proprietary morphing technique, where one object transforms into another in a fluid motion.
Csuri explored transforming objects, including human faces and animals. This animation features several of his iconic works, including “Artists to Frog”, “Hummingbird”, “Aging Process”, and “Bearded Man”.
Animators would later use the pioneering morphing techniques developed by Csuri in Michael Jackson's music video Black or White. His early explorations enabled seamless transitions, allowing faces to instantly transform between different sexes and races, marking a significant evolution in digital animation.
The 1967 animations, almost unbelievably, were created with the primitive technology of punch cards and an IBM 7094, a late-1960s computer that was priced at $2.9 million (nearly $30 million in today’s dollars).
Image progression, Black or White music video, 1991 (tenor GIF)